We (CLB) are having a ton o’ fun with this because we set forth what we thought the rules would be for these sorts of deals and, at least in this one instance, we turned out to be right. But you are absolutely right that this deal was not a sure thing either way and nobody can really claim they knew which way the wind was blowing all along. Nobody could know which way the wind was blowing all along because the wind was shifting all along. In the end, it shifted to no for what I see as two reasons: One, nationalism by the Chinese public. The government does not want to cross that public RIGHT NOW. Two, I do have to wonder whether Coca-Cola decided to just let this one slide.

Coke and its bottlers have one of the best distribution networks setup in China: you can find their canned tooth rot in small villages in China. They most deinfitely understand what it takes to operate in China, and it is perhaps some things in the background that need assuaging in order for this deal to go through.

What Coke lacks in maybe government and PR acumen in China, they make up for in other ways.